14 Places to Get Cash for Coins for Free (or Cheap)

One way we save money in my family is by saving coins. Every time we pay cash and get change back, the coins go into a jar. We don’t miss them, and in fact, it’s nice not to have to walk around with that heavy change in our purses and pockets.

We try to designate the coins for a specific purpose. It might be for a vacation or for a Christmas fund. We don’t touch the coins until we’ve decided on a purpose for them.

You can do this, too. Save your spare change so you’ve got money when you want to do something fun. Or, you can use it to work toward financial freedom.

However, what to do with the coins once you’ve got a purpose? You can’t head to the airline counter with a jar full of coins, after all. You’ve got to cash them in first.

Places to Get Cash for Coins

1. Your Local Bank

Many banks have coin counting machines. You typically have to be a member to have coins counted for free. Non-members usually have to pay a fee.

Note: I was a bank teller for many years at a local branch of a national bank that told us they didn’t want rolled coins. They’d make us open up the rolls and put them in the coin counter.

This was because people would try to scam the system. They’d put some fake coins in each roll, or they’d put a few pennies in a roll of nickels, for example.

I’m not sure what the rules are these days. However, I’d suggest checking with the bank before rolling up your coins. It’s a good idea to call ahead anyway to see if they even have a coin counting machine. I’ve read that some banks are getting rid of them.

You should also call if you don’t have an account at the bank to see if there’s a fee to cash in your coins. When I was a teller, we charged 10% to non-customers for coin counting.

Coin Counting Machines

Retailers sometimes have coin counting machines that let you exchange coins for cash. You pour your coins into the machine and it will count them.

Note that it will spit out any coins it can’t identify. This could include foreign coins, damaged coins and non-coins.

If the machine spits out a real coin, put it in again. Sometimes you can get it to register by doing that.

Know that this service isn’t free. One popular coin counting machine is run by Coinstar. Coinstar has coin counting machines in stores everywhere.

What is Coinstar’s Fee?

Coinstar charges 11.9% to turn your coins into cash. You can read about how to get around that toward the bottom of this article.

Check the Coinstar website for kiosks near you. Here is a list of stores that might house coin counting machines.

2. Walmart

Walmart has over 11,000 stores worldwide. If you live in the U.S. there’s likely a Walmart near you.

Almost all of the Walmarts in my area have Coinstar machines. Walmart seems to be the largest Coinstar host store, at least in my area.

3. Kmart

Kmart stores are dwindling in number. However, there are still over 300 in the U.S. You might find a Coinstar machine at your local Kmart.

4. Kroger

Kroger has more than 2,700 grocery stores in 35 states in the U.S. Many Kroger stores have Coinstar kiosks. Check your local store for more information.

5. CVS

CVS Pharmacy has over 9,000 stores in the U.S. It has stores in every state except Wyoming. Check your local CVS to see if it has a Coinstar kiosk.

6. ShopRite

There are more than 300 ShopRite grocery stores on the East Coast. You can find them in several states, including:

Connecticut

Delaware

New York

New Jersey

Pennsylvania

Maryland

Check your local ShopRite to see if they have a kiosk.

7. Hy-Vee

Hy-Vee has over 200 grocery stores in the Midwest. Some states include Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Your local Hy-Vee may have a Coinstar kiosk.

8. Meijer

There are more than 200 Meijer retail stores in the Midwest. They’re located in the following states:

Michigan

Indiana

Illinois

Kentucky

Wisconsin

Ohio

Visit your local Meijer store for a Coinstar kiosk. Not all locations carry kiosks.

9. Albertsons

Albertsons has over 2,000 locations throughout the U.S. Some states include Texas, New Mexico and Illinois.

Your local Albertsons store may have a Coinstar kiosk.

10. Harris Teeter

Harris Teeter has more than 200 supermarkets in seven U.S. states. They’re located in:

North Carolina

South Carolina

Virginia

Georgia

Florida

Delaware

Maryland

There are Harris Teeters in Washington, D.C., too. Your local Harris Teeter may have a Coinstar kiosk.

11. Hannaford

Hannaford has nearly 200 stores in New England and New York. Note that not all locations have Coinstar kiosks.

12. Cash Wise

Cash Wise foods stores are located in Minnesota and North Dakota. There are dozens of stores. Check your local Cash Wise store to see if they house Coinstar.

13. Target

There are more than 1,800 Target stores in the U.S. Not all Targets have Coinstar kiosks. In my major city, I couldn’t find a machine at a Target.

Check your local Target store to see if it has one.

14. Lowe’s

Lowe’s is a home improvement chain with more than 2,000 stores in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Some stores may carry Coinstar kiosks.

Again, not all store locations have machines. As I mentioned, most of the Walmarts in my area have them. However, very few Targets have them.

You can find a kiosk location by going to the Coinstar website. Or you can ask at a store near you.

Coinstar Fees

As I mentioned before, Coinstar charges a whopping 11.9% fee if you want cash for your coins. So, if you have $100 in coins you’ll get charged $11.90.

I know, that’s a LOT of money. I’m not a big fan of paying fees. You’re likely not either. However, there are a few options for avoiding the fee. Check out these choices.

Get an e-Gift Card

Coinstar does have an option where you can get an e-gift card instead of actual cash for your coins.

You won’t pay a fee if you get an e-gift card. Coinstar has several e-gift card options. They all come with minimum and maximum dollar amounts.

Amazon: $5 to $1,000

Applebee’s: $5 to $500

Best Buy Electronics: $5 to $500

GameStop: $15 to $500

Home Depot: $10 to $500

iTunes: $5 to $500

Southwest Airlines: $25 to $500

Starbucks: $5 to $500

Note that the retailers and amounts are subject to change. However, if you’re looking to avoid the Coinstar fee, this could help.

Give the Money to Charity

Coinstar will waive the coin counting fee if you donate the money to charity through them. Their list of available charities is small. However, they are all good choices.

Unicef

United Way

American Red Cross

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

World Wildlife Foundation

Feeding America

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

There’s something for everyone on the charity list. If you want to give your coins to a good cause, you can go this route.

Summary

I’ve found saving coins is a great way to save money. You don’t miss them when you throw them into the jar. They almost don’t seem like real cash.

Sometimes we’ll throw dollar bills into our coin jar, too. You won’t miss them in your wallet. And they add up over time. You can save several hundred dollars a year this way.

Using your own bank is the cheapest way to get cash for coins. However, if that’s not an option you have Coinstar.

You may pay a fee with Coinstar, but at least you’ll get cash.

Do you save coins? If so, how do you cash them in? What do you use your saved coins for? Vacations? Big purchases? Leave a comment on our Facebook page, and share this post via social media.

32 Comments

This information is great. I didn’t realize there are so many ways to avoid the fee and receive a gift card for places like Amazon. Thank you for this post.

Deacon

Your welcome! I’m glad you found it helpful.

Patricia

The site name is deceptive. Except for going to a bank or giving to charity, which isn’t exchanging your coins for cash, there’s only stores that have Coinstar, and they’re not cheap or free.

Deacon

It depends on your definition of cheap, I suppose. Thanks for your comments and opinion.

Kelvin

It’s a great idea and I don’t mind the fee. Had a lot of change around my place.

Deacon

Glad you had some success!

Yolanda

I have n R5 coin of 2018. How much is the value of it?

Deacon

Check out some of the links in the article on ways you can find the value of your coin! You can also seek out an appraiser or go to a pawn shop to see if they can find the value of it as well!

George Kevin Elliott

It is absurd to call Coinstar cheap, it is almost 12%, Very misleading headline.

Deacon

That is a big percentage! However, there are many different options for cashing in coins in this article. Also, many people who have a vast number of coins that they just want to get rid of don’t mind the fee!

George Mathews

I agree. Coinstar WAY overcharges.

Kayes

Agree with George

Amy

I agree with you George. Article is misleading. Your not cashing in if you get a gift card. I looked at them all listed. A joke. I hear people at the kiosks complain when I walk by. I will not give 11.90 per 100 just to dump my hard earned money into a machine. I can do this several times a year, maybe 3x or more. So that’s 34+ dollars I am giving to a machine. That’s ridiculous. My bank is more than an hour away from me and I won’t change banks because I’ve been with them 15+ years. I go with a friend to their bank to cash. I might just open a savings with it. Another good idea that isn’t listed. It’s already not being used and out of sight so why not.

Julie Bridwell

Thanks for the feedback Amy. Make sure to check out our articles on best banks for savings accounts.

Dianna

Thank for all the information! I can’t afford Coinstar’s fee, but it’s great to know both the fee percentage and the choices for the gift cards and charities. I also appreciate the information on taking the money to a bank. My bank has been unhelpful in the past but it’s worth trying again.

Deacon

I hope you can find something that works for you! Glad this article could help. Best of luck!

Cynthia Sadler

Hi there – Update. I followed this advice and went to my bank. I’m in Arizona. Both my bank Chase and then Wells Fargo said they do not have coin counters.

Deacon

If your bank doesn’t have any coin counters, then check out some of the other options in this article. Many Walmarts have a coinstar, and there are lots of other options! Best of luck!

Roger

Some grocery stores have self checkout for cash. You can pay with all coins and no fee, as long as you pay within the time limit. I can put 5 bucks worth of quarters in easily. Every Tuesday, I go to one and get a couple small items. I stuff in the week’s change, and problem solved.

Deacon

That’s good to know! Thanks for the idea!

Katie

That’s a great idea!!! Thanks for the share.

Georgia Moir

Rockland Federal Savings Bank in Massachusetts has coin counting machines in some locations and are free for bank customers.

Webster 5 in Massachusetts also has these machines in some of their branches but charge 4% for bank customers.

Rolled

Personally I think this is horrible coins are in approved and federal he backed American currency. All banks credit unions and other financial establishments should offer the service for free to convert coins to bills.

Nomoney

I agree Rolled. I belong to a credit union and they don’t accept change or say they don’t have a change counter. What bank on God’s green earth doesn’t have a change counter. Do they mean to tell us the tellers count all their change… every day!!! My credit union won’t take change weather it’s rolled or not and don’t have a counter. What kind of customer service is that? We get charged for everything. Greed has become the forefront in every business. And remember when the banks were given a helping hand and alot of the money went towards bonuses?! What do you expect from greedy b____________s.

Alsa

I used coinstar a few times until I realized how much money they took. This is very useful information. I save coins all the time. I get up early and go to the stores and self check out at Krogers. I will contact my bank to see if they take coins.

Sam

I recently rolled up all the quarters and dimes I had saved. It took me less than an hour, and I ended up with over $200, which means I saved $24+ (more than my hourly wage at work). The nickels and pennies didn’t seem worth my time, so I took those to the coinstar machine and paid them around $5 to count $40+ — well worth it in my opinion, as it would have taken nearly the same amount of time to roll the small denominations.

Sarah

Thanks for the article. One thing I think should be mentioned, based on my experience. I decided to get an Amazon gift card to avoid the fee, and then simply use the gift card to purchase a Visa gift card on Amazon. This would allow me to use the money wherever credit cards were accepted! Well, not exactly. No. Amazon doesn’t allow you to purchase Visa gift cards with Amazon gift cards, AND there’s an additional $4.95 “purchasing fee” even if they DID allow this.

Just wanted to mention this in case anyone was thinking of taking advantage of what seems like a pretty sweet loophole.

NortherNNiNja

Yeah, I’m pretty sure when i first used a coinstar kiosk, they skimmed I think around %4.5 (I could be a little off – but not much) now that rate has nearly tripled !? I think I will try the Amazon egift card option next time…

Mazen Arafat

I went to Bank of America and they did need it in rolls

Andrew Janz

Being a coin collector ,I get a $500 box of coins, half dollars, from certain banks. That means it would cost me over $50 to use a Coin star machine. Ridiculli. I take it to a bank that has a machine. No fee.

Tony K

I’m in California and the Indian casinos here will cash in your change absolutely free. And directly into cash. Of course they assume you will spend it there but you’re free to walk out the door.

Zoe Ann

Excellent and very informative info about Coinstar. I have a much better opinion of their service. THANK YOU.